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Traditional check-in desks are on the way out at Auckland Airport, with smarter check-in technology arriving this summer.
Over the next few years, around 100 existing check-in counters will be replaced with self-service kiosks and bag drops as Auckland Airport works towards upgrading the experience for travellers at New Zealand’s gateway airport.
Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said the new technology will bring a real step change in the departures experience for international travellers, allowing travellers to check-in at a kiosk, print their own luggage tags, and then use an automated bag drop – cutting waiting time at check-in.
“If we look at international best practice, travellers can save up to 13 minutes across the check-in process – that’s all the steps needed to get you checked in and your bags dropped off – with wait times for the self-check options typically no more than five minutes. That’s far quicker than you’d generally experience at a traditional check-in desk,” says Scott.
“Importantly, it gives travellers control and certainty over the check-in experience. The process will be faster, but if you need to take a bit more time or require some assistance, you don’t feel the pressure of a line of people waiting behind you. Conversely, if you’re a seasoned traveller, you can get through check-in quickly. It just makes for a more relaxed experience all round.”
It’s part of Auckland Airport’s infrastructure investment programme, delivering critical assets that will have decades of ongoing use, including a new domestic jet terminal integrated into the international terminal.
“As New Zealand’s main gateway, our airport needs to be fit for the future of travel, delivering the uplift in experience travellers are asking for. It will also be the future home of check-in for domestic jet travellers, when they shift across to the new terminal.”
When complete, the new self-service kiosks and bag drops will be available to all travellers no matter what airline they’re on, meaning multiple airlines can be checking in from the same kiosks at the same time, creating additional capacity and efficiency within the check-in hall.
“We’ve been operating with a mix of kiosks and check-in desks for many years at both the international and domestic terminal. When the new domestic jet hub opens at the end of the decade, regardless of whether you’re flying to Wellington or Doha you’ll be using a kiosk and bag drop,” says Scott.
The front-of-house improvement ties into an equally significant upgrade to the airport’s baggage handling system, which allows bags to be individually tracked and traced from the moment they leave the traveller’s hand through to loading onto the aircraft.
Another point of integration for the domestic and international travel systems, Scott says the baggage system allows for all day check-in, faster connection times, fewer bag jams and a more energy-efficient system.
International travellers will initially benefit with the first of the new self-service kiosks and bag drops coming online later this year with selected airlines.
“The other advantage is that by moving people through the check-in process faster we will be able to manage the expected future passenger numbers for both domestic and international travel without needing to double the size of the check-in area.
“While we will be increasing the footprint of the terminal’s check-in space, and work is underway to prepare the terminal for this expansion, it is a modest increase in size because we’re able to make the space we have got run more efficiently with the introduction of this technology.
“That allows us to focus the building upgrade on better amenities and improving traveller flows in and around the terminal, plus a refresh of the interior look and feel.”
Although much of the process will be self-service, airport and airline teams will still be on hand to support travellers.
“From checking in bikes and surfboards to large school groups and people with accessibility needs, help will be provided to make the check-in process go smoothly.”
Stepping through the changes
To keep international check-in operating while the technology switch is underway, a staged zone-by-zone approach will be taken to converting the check-in hall to self-service technology.
“The check-in project will be carefully staged, but we recognise we are making changes in the heart of the terminal. There’s going to be some disruption ahead, with hoardings going up around areas of work, and we want travellers to be prepared for this. It will be worth it in the end, but we ask for travellers’ patience as we get underway with bringing this significant improvement to the check-in experience,” says Scott.
Future proof
He says making check-in a quicker and smoother experience for travellers is a big area of development for airports globally.
“Around the world self-service options are becoming increasingly commonplace in airports. That creates opportunities for further layers of innovation to allow for smoother running of the whole airport ecosystem.”
Biometric scans are beginning to replace physical IDs and boarding passes, fast-tracking airport processes and providing real-time data for the different organisations within the airport system.
“We are considering what role biometrics will play and while that won’t be within our initial roll-out it’s certainly future proofed for this, and we’re watching this space very closely. It’s fair to say that this is a rapidly evolving space, but switching away from check-in desks to self-service kiosks and bag drops opens a world of opportunity to create a streamlined airport experience for travellers.”
